CHAPTER TWO
"Momma!"
Fallon crouched down to catch her son, hugging him tightly. "Hey honey, how was your trip?"
"I slept the entire flight."
"He snores." Dante said from his place in his own mother's arms.
Kane just shrugged at Jeff, having been the one to pick the boys up from the airport.
Gavin however promptly pulled away from his mom to whack his best bud upside the head.
"Ouch!"
"Serves ya right!"
"I'mma have my dad after you! He eats people!"
"Mah dad'll kill him!" Gavin shot right back, his accent thickening with anger. "He's crazier then a pet coon!"
Shadow and Fallon both sighed. "Men."
***
"Uncle Matt, check me out!"
Matt looked up, grinning broadly when he seen Gavin perched on top of a twenty foot ladder. He was definitely Jeff's son, no fear at all. "Your mom is gonna have your hide if she catches ya up there."
"I'm here, ain't nothing' gonna happen to him." Jeff said indignantly, standing at the base of the ladder, holding it steady, just in case.
"She's gonna have your hide too." Matt smirked at his brother, laughing when Jeff just got a lustful look on his face. "Bad thoughts, bad thoughts." He frowned when Jeff's face changed in a heartbeat, gone the fanciful expression replaced with anger. "Who pissed in your frosted flakes?" He asked, turning around to follow Jeff's stare, groaning inwardly at who he saw. "We're usin' the ring, Callaway, come back later."
Gavin stared down from his seat, remembering how he had been warned to stay as far away from this man as possible. Twenty feet plus seemed a reasonable distance.
Mark wasn't even paying attention to Matt or Jeff. His whole focus had narrowed down on the kid up on the ladder.
This boy…
Fallon's son…
Jeff's son…
Unwilling, a memory came creeping up to the forefront of his mind.
"Boy or girl, darlin'?"
Fallon shifted in his arms so she was looking up at him instead of the stars they'd been gazing at from the porch swing. "A healthy baby would suit me just fine."
Mark placed his hands, palm down and fingers splayed over his wife's protruding stomach. "I'll bet you anything' it'll be a boy."
"You sure about that?"
His emerald green eyes shined in the dim light from the moon and stars. "I am."
"A boy it is then." She chuckled, turning back to the sky.
Mark shook away the unbidden recollection, not caring to dwell on those fleeting moments when he and Fallon had been happy. Brief indeed those moments had been in their turbulent marriage. He took his sunglasses off as the kid descended the ladder steps, green eyes meeting…
Green eyes.
And…
Reddish-blonde hair.
When up in the air, engulfed by the lights it had been hard to determine the boy's looks.
Now it was to plain.
"Dad, is he nuts?" Gavin murmured when the weirdo turned and walked back up the ramp, disappearing backstage.
"Son, you have no idea." Jeff whispered, pulling Gavin to him protectively, his green eyes worried as he glanced at his brother.
Matt could only raised his hands in a helpless gesture.
***
"Son of a bitch!" Fallon cursed, grunting angrily as the kick bag rebounded on her. She didn't move quickly enough and wound up on her ass. "Ouch…"
She moved to get up only to find herself being aided. "Thanks." She said, laughing at herself and turned around.
"Let's talk."
One look into those raging green eyes had her insides quivering. A ball of fear lumped in her throat. "Gavin…"
"You lyin' little bitch…" Mark growled, his grip on her arm tightening to the point of leaving definite bruises. "You fuckin' lied to me!"
"Be specific." She snarled. "You're out of your damn mind, I lied to you about a million things!"
"You gave MY son another man's name, let another man raise him…"
She was in dangerous water but plunged on anyway. "He is Jeff's son, not yours. It's Jeff's name on the birth certificate, not yours. Gavin's name is Hardy, not Callaway. He is NOT your son!"
A snarl on his lips, mark tossed her away from him, watching as she stumbled over a rack of weights and tripped. His fists clenched and unclenched, liquid fire coursing angrily though his veins. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around her slender throat and squeeze until the little whore died.
Fallon seen those thoughts quite plainly on his face. She was instantly reminded of the Undertaker, only this was infinitely more dangerous. More primal. With the Undertaker there had been a cruel sort of restraint, he had merely wanted to hurt her. This man wanted to kill her and was obviously rationalizing all the reasons why he should.
When she moved to get to her feet, he lunged. Before Fallon could even open her mouth to scream, she found a heavy boot planted on her throat, forcing the air back down.
"I should kill you right now." Mark growled, venom dripping like acid from his tongue. "I should-" He pressed down ever harder. "just pop your head off like a fuckin' tick."
Her eyes both dared him to do it and pleaded with him not too. The old brash, warrior's mentality was conflicting with the maternal instinct she had developed.
Instead of popping off her head, he stooped down, grabbing a handful of her black hair, jerking her to her feet.
Pain shot through Fallon's head, radiating down her neck and into her spine as her body was bent back at an unnatural angle. Not to mention her airway was burning a she sucked in breaths.
"I want him, Fallon." Mark said coldly. "I want my son."
"You can't have him." She gasped hoarsely. "He's not yours, he'll never be yours, ever."
His eyes narrowed, nothing more then emerald slits. "You said that to me before," He taunted evilly, the timbre of his voice changing: darkening, deepening. About yourself, remember how that turned out, hmm?"
She remembered all to well. She had wound up married to him in a mockery of a wedding but a legal and binding ceremony nonetheless. A million memories were lining up to be relived, the majority of them painful, but there wasn't time for a single one.
The world went flying suddenly only to halt. It took her a second to realize it hadn't been the room flying but herself. Mark -Undertaker, whichever one he was- had physically tossed her from him.
She felt something trickling down the back of her head, then a dull throbbing ache. Panic started creeping in at the same time blackness started eating her vision.
***
Chris Irvine looked up from the chair he was scrunched in when he heard a soft moan of pain coming fro the hospital bed beside him. "Fallon?" He yawned, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He had been taking shifts with Jeff, Shadow and Kane sitting with their friend.
"Gavin…" She murmured, her words coming out sluggishly.
He moved so he was perched on the edge of the bed, reaching out to take her hand. "He's fine, honey. He's with Jeff and Matt, don't worry."
She frowned, reaching up to feel the bandage wrapped around her head.
"No, don't touch that." Chris cautioned, catching her hands in his before she could remove it. "You hit your head really hard, sweetheart. There was a pretty bad cut but it's fine now, the doctor's took care of it. But…"
"But what, Chris?" Fallon demanded, fear creeping into her tone.
"The impact jarred something. The doctors say you'll be fine in a week or so…" He was obviously hesitant to tell her whatever she needed to be told.
"Chris, just tell me!"
"Fallon, you're blind.
***
"Don't touch her glasses, Gav." Jeff cautioned standing in the waiting room with his son. "Mom's gonna need to where them for awhile. If she takes them off-"
"I know, she could go blind permanently." Gavin interrupted, next reciting what they had been told repeatedly. "The sudden 'posure to light could damage her retinas."
"Good boy." Jeff smiled slightly, patting his son's head.
"And she might whack me with her cane."
"Smartass."
Gavin started to say something but hesitated when he seen his mother walking towards them with help Chris. Physically she looked fine, she looked normal. Jeans, a tank top, her hair and make-up done, even the black sunglasses looked alright.
What was different was the way she carried herself. One arm was linked through Chris', the other was holding a walking stick, cautiously feeling the floor out.
He swallowed hard.
Jeff's eyes narrowed angrily when he seen his fiancée. Somebody was going to pay for this.
***
"Go with your dad, I'll be fine."
Gavin and Jeff exchanged looks, both shaking their heads.
Fallon smiled slightly, her head cocked to the side, listening for them. "I'll be fine, I promise. Gav, go. You'll have fun at Fan Access, I'm just going to listen to music."
"Momma, I'd rather just stay here and help you." Gavin said softly, moving to stand in front of her.
She hesitated before lifting her hands, slowly reaching out and smiled brightly when she felt him. Her fingers felt his face, tracing the shape of his frowning mouth. "Honey, I have to learn to be able to do things on my own." She told him gently.
"But the doctor said-"
"It's been a month, there's a chance I'll be blind for the rest of my life, sweetheart. Go, please?"
Jeff took Gavin's hand sighing sadly. "We'll be back this afternoon." He said, stooping down to kiss her.
"Have fun."
Once the door closed behind them, Fallon got up. They were at a hotel, Jeff's medical leave up -medical leave he had taken for her. Gavin and Jeff had moved everything against the walls so she wouldn't trip over anything. Her fingers skimmed the waist high table, refusing to use that damn walking stick anymore then she had too.
She fumbled with the radio, having to work it from memory, finally hearing her music playing.
***
Mark watched her, leaning against the door. It had been way to easy to get in after Jeff had left. He had been tempted to take his son from the man but decided against it when he had seen Jeff join up with Kane and Chris.
So instead, he had opted for this. He'd heard Fallon was 'indisposed' but he hadn't been expecting this. He had blinded her.
And he'd probably do it all over again, no regrets.